Uncommon Drugs: DMT

DMT is short for Dimethyltryptamine, a psychedelic compound from the tryptamine family. It is found naturally in the our brains and it’s believed to play a role in thought processing, dreaming, near death experiences, and out of body experiences like astro-projection.

DMT can be sniffed, smoked or even injected. The side effects of using DMT include intense visuals, altered concept of time, stomach discomfort, overwhelming fear, lung irritation, increased heart rate, increased body temperature, and possibly death. DMT is trending among teenagers. John Barclay interviewedpeople who just smoked DMT. Here is one story from the site:

“The visual side of things was like doing acid or mushrooms. I felt tingly and I had a body high or whatever. When I lied down and was listening to Iggy Pop, you were taking a picture of me and I still felt self-conscious. I don’t think I lost sight of myself enough to think that wasn’t absurd and funny. So then I sat back up again, and it got intense when I sat back up. It was a lot like the more intense moments of acid.

Almost the strangest part is how quickly you come down. With acid it lingers for a day sometimes—the whole next day you feel weird. With this you pretty much feel normal almost immediately afterwards. I still feel kind of strange because I remember the experience of doing the drug. And I’m probably gonna think about it a few times for the rest of the day. It’s like a way less time- and energy-intensive acid trip.”

– Victor

The long term side effects of smoking DMT include respiratory issues and possibly even psychological issues. Not much is known about this drug as it relates to abuse and addiction.